Applied Plant Biotechnology for Improvement of Resistance to Biotic Stress applies biotechnology insights that seek to improve plant genomes, thus helping them achieve higher resistance and optimal hormone signaling to increase crop yield. The book provides an analysis of the current state-of-the-art in plant biotechnology as applied to improving resistance to biotic stress. In recent years, significant progress has been made towards understanding the interplay between plants and their hosts, particularly the role of plant immunity in regulating, attenuating or neutralizing invading pathogens. As a result, there is a great need to integrate these insights with methods from biotechnology.

Optochemical Biology, Volume 624, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters on a variety of topics, including Cell Lineage Tracing in Zebrafish Embryos with an Expanded Genetic Code, Optical Control of Tumor Induction in the Zebrafish, Optogenetic Control by Pulsed Illumination, Optimizing the Photocontrol of bZIP Coiled Coils with Azobenzene Crosslinkers: Role of the Crosslinking Site, Site-Directed RNA Editing in Vivo Can Be Triggered by the Light-Driven Assembly of an Artificial Riboprotein, In Situ Formation of an Azo Bridge on Proteins Controllable by Visible Light, and much more.

The Impact of Nanoparticles on Agriculture and Soil, part of the Nanomaterials-Plant Interaction series, contributes the most recent insights into understanding the cellular interactions of nanoparticles in an agricultural setting, focusing on current applications and means of evaluating future prospects. In order to ensure and improve the biosafety of nanoparticles, it is a primary concern to understand cellular bioprocess like nanomaterial's cellular uptake and their influence on cellular structural, functional and genetic components. This book addresses these and other important aspects in detail along with showcasing their applications in the area of agriculture. With an international team of authors, and experienced editors, this book will be valuable to those working to understand and advance nanoscience to benefit agricultural production and human and environmental welfare. In-depth knowledge of these bioprocess will enable researchers to engineer nanomaterials for enhanced biosafety.

Sulfurtransferases: Essential Enzymes for Life stands as the first comprehensive resource on this increasingly important class of enzymes. Following an introduction to the field from the Editors, each chapter covers a specific sulfurtransferase, including its basic biology and roles in healthy functioning, disease, drug discovery, and other biotechnological applications. The physiological function for each enzyme is considered in depth, along with regulation mechanisms, pharmacological inhibitors, and pathology and conditions related to altered enzymatic activity. Sulfurtransferases discussed include rhodanese, MST, thiosulfate-thiol sulfurtransferase, tRNA uracil 4-sulfurtransferase, thiosulfate-dithiol sulfurtransferases, biotin synthase, cysteine desulfurase, lipoyl synthase, molybdenum cofactor sulfurtransferase, thiazole synthase, molybdopterin synthase sulfurtransferase, molybdopterin synthase, tRNA-uridine 2-sulfurtransferase, tRNA-5-taurinomethyluridine 2-sulfurtransferase, tRNA-5-methyluridine (54) 2-sulfurtransferase, and L-aspartate semialdehyde sulfurtransferase, among others. Here, researchers will discover key knowledge and recent advances to bring forward new studies on this increasingly relevant class of enzymes, while clinicians may apply new findings in medical practice.

Developments and Applications of Enzymes from Thermophilic Microorganisms extensively presents the industrial application of thermophilic/hyperthermophilic enzymes. The book brings thorough and in-depth coverage on the role of these enzymes in a broad range of industries, focusing on present scenarios of these enzymes in biofuel industries, including recent advancements. The use of thermophilic enzymes in 2G biorefineries may enable the whole production process to take place at high temperatures, allowing increased reaction rate and reduced costs. Researchers in biochemistry, microbiology, microbial technology, biotechnology, molecular biology and bioresource technology will benefit from the new insights given on potential applications of hyperthermophiles. Hyperthermophilic enzymes, many of which survive at temperatures at or above 100C, contain novel macromolecules and metabolic systems which represent a vast resource for fundamental molecular and physiological studies, and for potential exploitation in biotechnology.

The objective of this book is to bring into focus the practical application of the theoretical knowledge of crop physiology. This book on Crop Physiology describes basic principles and procedures with exercises dealing with demonstration of important physiological and metabolic processes viz. osmosis, diffusion, water potential, stomatal frequency and index, plant water status, water relation, Measurement of absorption spectrum of chloroplastic pigments and fluorescence, leaf area, plant growth and transpiration. Demonstration of photosynthesis, transpiration, relationship between absorption and transpiration, conditions for seed germination, seed viability and dormancy aspects, chemical solution preparation for physiological and biochemical analysis of plant samples.

RNA Recognition, Volume 623, the latest volume in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This updated volume covers a variety of topics, including The Preparation of cooperative RNA recognition complexes for crystallographic structural studies, Methods for thermal denaturation studies of fluorogenic aptamers, Dynamic combinatorial chemistry as a rapid, fragment-based approach to RNA-targeted compound discovery, Using a click chemistry assay to identify natural product ligands for pre-microRNAs, Lessons from exploration of chemical and structural small molecule:RNA space, Using ligand-observed NMR to study RNA-small molecule interactions, and much more.

Role of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms in Sustainable Agriculture and Nanotechnology explores PGPMs (actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria) and their multidimensional roles in agriculture, including their increasing applications in sustainable agriculture. In addition to their traditional understanding and applications in agriculture, PGPMs are increasingly known as a source of nano-particles production that are gaining significant interest in their ability to provide more economically, environmentally friendly and safe technologies to crop growers. The book considers new concepts and current developments in plant growth, thus promoting microorganisms research and evaluating its implications for sustainable productivity. Users will find this to be an invaluable resource for researchers in applied microbial biotechnology, soil science, nano-technology of microbial strains, and industry personnel in these areas.

Scientists are deciphering the biology of the tumor cell at a level of detail that would have been hard to imagine just a decade or so ago. The development of high-throughput DNA sequencing and genomics technologies have allowed an understanding of the development, growth, survival, and spread of cancer cells in the body. From this information, we now have a basic blueprint or roadmap of how a single damaged cell can develop into a pre-malignant lesion, a primary tumor, and finally, a lethal tumor that may spread throughout the body and resist both medical therapy and host immune responses. In this book, we provide an overview of our current understanding of this cancer blueprint, which has been aided both by the study of familial cancer syndromes, in vitro studies of cancer cells, and animal models. Three classes of genes have emerged from these studies: tumor suppressor genes needed for normal growth control and DNA repair; oncogenes that regulate cell growth and survival, and epigenetic modifiers, enzymes that regulate the modification of DNA and the proteins that form chromatin. Each of these three classes of genes is mutated or altered at least once in virtually all malignant cancer cells. Current technologies permit the DNA sequencing of cancer exomes (coding gene sequencing), whole genomes, transcriptome (all expressed genes), and DNA methylation profiling. These studies show that all tumors have unique constellations of mutated, rearranged, amplified, and deleted genes. Single-cell sequencing further shows that there is extensive variation in individual cells in the tumor; that cancers evolve, and have many of the properties of a multi-cellular entity. Lastly, cancer cells, through mutations in epigenetic modifiers, can reprogram the genome and unlock entire developmental and gene expression pathways to adapt and survive in changing conditions. This reprogramming allows the tumor to elude the host body's defenses, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy that we use in cancer treatment. Understanding this cancer blueprint paves the way for the development of future therapies to treat and eliminate cancer.

The Solar Corridor Crop System: Implementation and Impacts presents a case-study format on the planning and implementation of alternative cropping systems designed to maximize incident sunlight and bio-support of all crops in a rotation system. The book describes the basic component of the system, an increased access point of incident sunlight between each row or pairs of rows that enables a more uniform vertical distribution of incident sunlight to chloroplasts within the entire corn leaf canopy. While the production environment and environment specific genetics determine the performance potential of this principle, by maximizing the principles that light is basic to crop yield, a solar corridor ultimately contributes to increased grain yield. Written by experts who were integral in the development of solar corridor systems, and providing real-world examples of the methods, challenges and future prospects, this book will be valuable for those seeking to increase yield-per-acre through both primary and cover-crops.

Membrane Transporters in the Pathogenesis of Cardiovascular and Lung Disorders, Volume 83, the latest release in the Current Topics in Membranes series, highlights new advances in the field, with this volume presenting chapters from recognized experts on topics such as cardiotonic steroids, Na+, K+ pumps and vascular fibrosis, purinergic signaling in the lung, structural models of a2-subunit N-termini and binding interfaces, ubiquitous and cell type-specific transcriptomic changes triggered by dissipation of monovalent cation gradients, the Na, K-ATPase alpha2 isoform in cardiovascular pathologies, the role of cell swelling and volume-sensitive ion channels in stroke pathology, structure-function relationships in the renal NaCl cotransporter, and more.

Chemical and Synthetic Biology Approaches To Understand Cellular Functions - Part B, Volume 622, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting chapters that cover the Design of optogenetic proteins, the Application of optogenetic proteins, Antibody aggregation mechanism probed by a fluorescently-labeled antibody with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, Bimane labeling of B-arrestins to measure their interaction with GPCRs, Reversible biotinylation of proteins for investigating their interaction with partners, Chemical biology approaches to study RNA cytidine acetylation, Salt sensitive intein in robotic production of peptides, and much more.

Advances in Microbial Physiology, Volume 74, the latest release in this ongoing series, continues the long tradition of topical, important, cutting-edge reviews in microbiology. The book contains updates in the field, with comprehensive chapters covering The electrifying physiology of Geobacter bacteria 30 years on, Adaptive morphogenesis in bacteria, Bacterial energetics and respiratory metabolism, Bacteria respiration during infection, Regulation of Organohalide Respiration, Bioenergetics of Campylobacter jejuni, Formate Hydrogenlyases, Bioenergetical Aspects of the Bacterial and Archaeal Hydrogen Metabolism, and more.

Chemical and Synthetic Biology Approaches to Understand Cellular Functions - Part A, Volume 621, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this volume covering Site-directed ethylation of membrane proteins for measuring conformational transitions in lipid bilayers, the Design and synthesis of fluorescent activity probes for protein phosphatases, Stains, Utilizing split-nanoLuc fragments as luminescent probes for protein solubility in living cells, SH2-domain based sensor for intracellular recognition of sulfo-tyrosine, DNA-encoded immunoglobulins for detection of parasites, An engineered TEV protease - calmodulin fusion based sensor for neuronal calcium recording, and much more.

Advances in Clinical Chemistry, Volume 90, the latest installment in this internationally acclaimed series, contains chapters authored by world-renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists. The serial discusses the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of clinical chemistry, and is the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.

Glycans and Glycosaminoglycans as Clinical Biomarkers and Therapeutics - Part B, Volume 163 in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series, provides informative monographs on a variety of research topics related to Glycans and glycosaminoglycans as clinical biomarkers and therapeutics. Topics in this update include an Overview of Fugal Glycan-based Therapeutics, Heparin: An Essential Drug for Modern Medicine, Low Molecular Weight Heparins and Their Clinical Applications, The Clinical Use of Fondaparinux: A Synthetic Heparin Pentasaccharid, Heparinoids as Clinically Used Drugs, Marine Glycan-Derived Therapeutics in China, Efficacy of Heparinoid PSS in Treating Cardiovascular and other Diseases-30 Years Clinical Applications in China, and more.

Vertebrate Skeletal Development, Volume 133, the latest release in the Current Topics in Developmental Biology series, presents interesting chapters on a variety of topics, with this edition focusing on Craniofacial skeletal development, Regulatory mechanism of jawbone and tooth development, Development of the axial skeleton and intervertebral discs, Stem and progenitor cells in skeletal development, Origin, functioning and morphogenetic activity of limb synovial joint, ECM signaling in cartilage development and endochondral ossification, Sox genes in skeletal development, Wnt-Signaling in Skeletal Development, Gas signaling in skeletal development and diseases, FGF signaling in skeletal development, Bone morphogenetic growth factors in bone development, and more.

Feed additives are non-nutritive substances, preparations and micro-organisms that are added to feed to animal feeds to improve growth performance, feed intake and the efficiency of feed utilization for healthy, economic and eco-friendly livestock production. This book on Advances in Animal Feed Additives addresses current information on the use of different animal feed additives with regard to production, health and reproduction of livestock and poultry. This book contains twenty five s contributed by 30 eminent scientists of animal nutrition, which highlights the significance of antioxidants, enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, antimicrobials, organic acids, coccidiostats, mycotoxin binders, immunomodulator, hen egg antibody, hormones, beta agonist, methane inhibitors, defaunating agents, essential oil and herbal feed additives. etc. for sustainable livestock and poultry production. Each of the book attempts at providing clear and updated information on feed additives supported with good amount of the experimental evidence and references which will enable the students and research workers to obtain information quickly when necessary. The book is useful to students of animal sciences, teachers and scientists of animal nutrition discipline, personnel of feed industry, field veterinarians, animal husbandry extension workers and progressive animal farmers.

Atomic Force Microscopy for Nanoscale Biophysics: From Single Molecules to Living Cells summarizes the applications of atomic force microscopy for the investigation of biomolecules and cells. The book discusses the methodology of AFM-based biomedical detection, diverse biological systems, and the combination of AFM with other complementary techniques. These state-of-the-art chapters empower researchers to address biological issues through the application of atomic force microscopy. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a unique, multifunctional tool for investigating the structures and properties of living biological systems under aqueous conditions with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution.